Jane experienced an impressive, if less than spectacular, run of popularity into the 1960s, spending 55 years (1911-1965) in the top 100, peaking at #35 in 1946. After bottoming out at #447 in 2006, she's turned things around during the past decade.

10 defections. More on the way? Three other Republican senators, Bob Corker of Tennessee, Charles E. Grassley of Iowa and John Boozman of Arkansas, have withheld their support, although they have not declared their opposition, and others have largely remained silent.

Jobs jobs jobs at any cost. The company has taken criticism for worker conditions at its plants in China after a wave of suicides; in 2010, according to a 2015 Re/code story, 12 Foxconn workers killed themselves by jumping off rooftops. The article says Foxconn employs about 1.4 million people in mainland China and is one of the world's largest private employers.

But before any Michigan investment can happen, a tax incentive program sought by the Snyder administration will have to be approved. The program, which that would allow new companies that create more than 500 new jobs in Michigan to capture up to 50% of their employees' state income taxes, was derailed this week by House Speaker Tom Leonard. The DeWitt Republican canceled a vote after questioning whether Snyder cut a side deal with Democrats.

Among provisions in the recently passed and signed IMPROVE Act, which raises fuel taxes for the state's highway fund while cutting several general fund taxes, is a reduction in Tennessee corporate franchise and excise taxes for manufacturers.

Though many states recruit businesses with tax incentives, states in the Deep South pioneered the practice and remain aggressive users of the tool, pitching not just tax breaks but low costs and anemic union participation. The strategy has both payoffs and potential downsides. Mercedes, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Airbus and Boeing now have plants in the Deep South, providing tens of thousands of sturdy middle-class jobs. But while those high-profile plants attract much of the attention, experts say tax breaks often are used for the many companies offering lower-wage work.

After a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump,Masayoshi Son, founder and CEO of Softbank, a mobile telecom and investment firm, suggested Foxconn could create 50,000 jobs in the U.S.

On January 23, 2017, Forbes reports:

Over the weekend, Foxconn's billionaire chairman, Terry Gou, filled in some of the gaps in the plan.

He told reporters that the plan to build a plant for displays was still very tentative, but if it went ahead the investment would exceed $7 billion and could create 30,000 to 50,000 jobs, according to news reports.

Gou singled out Pennsylvania as a possible location, adding that the investment would depend on Foxconn being able to negotiate good rates for land and power.

Thursday, June 15, 2017

The usual case of states giving away the store for jobs. [Michigan Governor Rick] Snyder, a Republican, has been increasing pressure on Michigan lawmakers to approve tax incentives for large-scale business expansions in the state as it tries to convince Foxconn to locate in his state. Michigan’s Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof said this week in advocating for the incentives to lure Foxconn that “we should put our best foot forward so that we don’t lose all of it or part of it to a neighboring state.” Wisconsin state Rep. Joel Kleefisch, R-Oconomowoc, said Wednesday he would “jump at the chance” to work with the Walker administration to pass any economic development incentives deemed necessary to land the Foxconn plant.The governor of Pennsylvania is a Democrat.
Salary information from Indeed.

Working a 40-hour week, an assembler would earn $19,427.20 annually. For a family of 3, that's $992.80 below the federal poverty guideline. Not a living wage.

And not nearly enough of an hourly wage to afford the fair-market rate for a two-bedroom apartment.

Online Headline: Did You Pack Too Much? Your Suitcase Know.Luggage has been a pretty sleepy product category. The industry’s last major innovation came nearly 50 years ago, when wheels and a telescoping handle were added to suitcases. Since then, improvements have been incremental, focusing on lighter-weight materials, interior layouts and maneuverability.

Tuesday, July 4, 2017

Cadillac sales fell 11.8% in June to 12,580. Sales of its new flagship Sales of its new flagship CT6 were up only 5.4% to 1,014. Both numbers for June were not characteristic for the year. First-half sales for Cadillac were down 1.6% to 78,073.

Could be a very long and disappointing rest of the season if the Bleacher Report is spot on.

Meet Dorian Gray, Milwaukee Brewers' manager. (In Craig Counsell's case, the only connection is that the guy just doesn't seem to age. If there were any dissipation and crime involved, he wouldn't be in the position he is now.)

Mr. Johnson lives in what might be described as California’s Great Red North, a bloc of 13 counties that voted for President Trump in November and that make up more than a fifth of the state’s land mass but only 3 percent of its population.

Only three years ago, the eminent children’s book writer and artist Walter Dean Myers wrote an opinion article in The New York Times lamenting the paucity of children’s books with African-American protagonists and themes. His concerns at the time were substantiated in documentation by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center at the University of Wisconsin, which reported that of 3,200 children’s books published in 2013, only 93 were about black people. (The 2016 figures reflect a jump: Out of 3,400 books received at the center, 286 are about black people.)

Howard enjoyed a great first half+ of the 20th century, spending 59 years (1900-1958) in the top 100 and peaking at #24 in 1919-1920. By 1990, he was in free fall and lately has been struggling mightily to stay relevant.